Gary Rowett is back in the loan market for the next two and a bit weeks as he looks to finalise his Stoke City squad.

So we have gone back over the past decade looking for inspiration and catching up on what has happened since to the players who passed through the club, blowing good and bad winds.

We’re not counting Bruno Martins Indi, who is still here, and Lee Grant and Stephen Ireland, who signed for good and only left in the summer. In case you didn’t know Grant has joined Manchester United and Stephen Ireland is reportedly in talks with Bundesliga clubs.

Here are the rest.

KURT ZOUMA (Centre-back, aged 23)

Survived a testing season at Stoke when the manager had a brainwave to play a wing-back system without any wing-backs. Always seemed like a genuinely nice guy and he has obvious attributes that can help him thrive in the Premier League.

Peter Crouch said near the end of the campaign: “It would be easy for loan players to take a back seat in tough situations but Kurt has been a good lad around the place. He has also been good on the pitch and I’m convinced he will go on to be Chelsea and France’s first choice central defender.

“Everything you would want from a defender, he has got. Kurt is quick, strong, good on the ball and his leap is absolutely ridiculous. We do tests in the gym to measure your spring and he can get so high his head touches the ceiling.

“Really, he can be anything he wants to be. There was a period when we conceded a lot of goals that he found tough but he came through it and picked up the gears again. I can see him doing that plenty more in the future.”

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JESE RODRIGUEZ (Forward, aged 25)

Former Real Madrid forward stank the place out for just under a year, until he was belatedly booted back over the Channel.

In the headlines this month and you guessed it, not for football. Has launched his own record label “for misunderstood artists” so at least someone will produce his terrible music. PSG are trying their best to get rid of him and want it to be a one-way ticket rather than loan so they don’t have to be in this situation again. Good luck.

A contender for Stoke’s worst ever signing, which is some going for a loan player.

Stoke career: 8 (5) appearances, one goal

Jese Rodriguez, Spanish football's answer to Hilda Ogden.

KOSTAS STAFYLIDIS (Left-back, aged 24)

An extra in Stoke’s relegation campaign, who did not feature after that snowy hell against Everton. Fractured ribs on international duty, which made Paul Lambert quite angry.

Was linked with a return to PAOK, where Liam Lawrence had been his hero breaking through the ranks, but is still at Augsburg. He’s not featured in pre-season, still complaining of pain from his ribs, but returned to light training a fortnight ago.

Stoke career: 4 (1) appearances, no goals

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WILFRIED BONY (Forward, aged 29)

His scoring record prompted optimism when he joined from Man City in 2016 but anyone who had watched him in the previous few months warned he was not the same player who had been scoring goals for fun for Swansea in 2014.

Don’t get Mike Pejic started on that. He wrote in his Sentinel column this summer: “It still annoys me that Mark Hughes brought in Wilfried Bony, exactly the wrong kind of player, who ended up dropping deep and blocking spaces for Bojan, forcing that key player into areas where he couldn’t be at his best. Infuriating!”

Didn’t feature for Stoke in second half of season and was shipped back to Swansea by Man City. Hasn’t played since tearing an anterior cruciate ligament six months ago.

His flat-lining career prompted a piece from Wales Online yesterday with the closing line: “The sense at this stage is that it is a case of when, rather than if, Bony's second stint in South Wales comes to an end, but that conclusion may not arrive rapidly.”

Stoke career: 10 (1) appearances, 2 goals

Wilfried Bony leans in for a word with Max Choupo-Moting as Swansea host Stoke City last seson. (Image: Stoke Sentinel)

MARCO VAN GINKEL (Midfielder, aged 25)

Signed as Steven Nzonzi went to Seville, which left big boots to fill, and he showed glimpses of his potential. A post away from being a hero in League Cup semi-final – and he might have won a penalty if he hadn’t been so honest or if it wasn’t in front of the Kop.

But when Stoke turned to Giannelli Imbula, Wulfert Cornelius (aka Marco) headed back to Holland for goal-laden loans with PSV Eindhoven. Helped win the Eredivisie title in 2016 and last season.

Is currently in the treatment room until early 2019 after undergoing knee surgery in July. Under contract until 2020 but has only made four Chelsea appearances since joining in 2013.

Stoke career: 11 (10) appearances, no goals

Marco van Ginkel shoots past Simon Mignolet but hits the post during the Capital One Cup semi final second leg match between Liverpool and Stoke City at Anfield on January 26, 2016. (Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

VICTOR MOSES (Winger, aged 27)

Only played in 19 league games in a year on loan when he was either electrifying or injured. Mark Hughes tried to get him back but Jose Mourinho wanted to keep him… then let him out on loan to West Ham. He was eventually given a surprise break by Antonio Conte and was a key man at wing-back as Chelsea won the title in 2017.

Not known how much he’ll feature under Maurizio Sarri.

Stoke career: 22 (1) appearances, 4 goals

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OUSSAMA ASSAIDI (Winger, aged 29)

Jet-heeled winger had more a five-star skill rating on the Fifa computer game – which is apparently pretty good – and scored THAT last minute winner against Chelsea. Also left Fulham’s stand-in right-back Dan Burn so dizzy that he was asked to go and play on the other wing.

Hardly figured in his second spell, with Victor Moses and Marko Arnautovic coming to the fore, and left for the riches of Al-Ahli Dubai, where he was frustrated by rules restricting foreign players.

Returned to Holland last year to join Twente but couldn’t prevent their relegation. Coach Marino Pusic said last week: “I hope and I expect him to stay. He’s a fantastic player.”

Expected to miss season-opener against Sparta on Friday due to injury.

Stoke career: 18 (18) appearances, 5 goals

Oussama Assaidi scores the winning goal for Stoke City against Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium on December 7, 2013. (Image: Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

PHILIPP WOLLSCHEID (Centre-back, aged 29)

A man-of-the-match turn at Anfield as Stoke were a shoot-out away from reaching the League Cup final… and then, well, who could have predicted his path.

A loan at Wolfsburg ended up with him being ostracised and finding game time in the regional league. He left by mutual consent but was then released by Ligue 1 crisis club Metz half-way through his first season having only played in one cup game.

So he started playing glorified five-a-side and helped his mates’ team qualify for the German fustal finals and is an ambassador for the Wadern trade association. This summer he has been linked with TSV 1860 and, more tentatively, Hamburg.

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STEPHEN KELLY (Defender, aged 34)

Arrived from Birmingham as Tony Pulis searched for more depth in the first year back in top flight. Went on to play for Fulham, Reading and Rotherham, who he left at the end of 2016/17. Trained with Aston Villa at the start of last season.

He’s been doing some punditry work for Ireland-based Off The Ball, alongside fellow former Stoke loanee Keith Andrews, and last week touched on his move to Stoke – and a deal that was done after the transfer deadline.

“I was at Birmingham and we’d been relegated to the Championship,” he said. “In the January window, Stoke came in for me at the last minute and it wasn’t done in time – I probably shouldn’t be saying this – but there was bad snow, well, bad snow for England. An inch.

“Everything came to a standstill and the FA ended up pushing it out for a few hours because clubs said they couldn’t get deals through. I went up the next day for a medical and got it done 24 hours after the window had closed.”